TOPEKA — Two fewer district courts are processing marriage license applications, but 16 others continue to provide the remote service by phone and email.
District courts in Crawford and Miami counties no longer take marriage license applications, but both will finish processing ones they have already received if applicants pay the required fee by Oct. 15. Applicants who miss the deadline will have to start the process anew in a different court.
Courts that issue marriage licenses
Applicants must call a court to begin the process.
People who live in Johnson, Sedgwick, Shawnee, or Wyandotte county will get their marriage licenses through the district court in their county: Johnson County District Court— Olathe — 913-715-3428; Sedgwick County District Court— Wichita — 316-660-5900; Shawnee County District Court— Topeka — 785-251-6362; Wyandotte County District Court— Kansas City — 913-573-2834
People who live in other counties can choose from 12 court locations to get a marriage license: Barton County District Court— Great Bend — 620-793-1856; Douglas County District Court— Lawrence — 785-832-5256; Ellis County District Court— Hays — 785-628-9415; Finney County District Court— Garden City — 620-271-6120; Ford County District Court— Dodge City — 620-227-4609; Harvey County District Court— Newton — 316-284-6890; Leavenworth County District Court— Leavenworth — 913-684-0700; Lyon County District Court— Emporia — 620-341-3280; Pawnee County District Court— Larned — 620-285-6937; Reno County District Court— Hutchinson — 620-694-2956; Saline County District Court— Salina — 785-309-5831; Thomas County District Court— Colby — 785-460-4540
Courts will receive applications by encrypted email or mail
Marriage license paperwork requires the applicant to provide a photo identification that includes personally identifiable information, such as date of birth, Social Security number, or driver’s license number. To protect this information, courts will begin an encrypted email exchange with the applicant through which the applicant will return completed paperwork.
If an applicant does not have email, courts will send and receive paperwork by U.S. mail.
Fulfilling the oath requirement
Marriage license applicants previously were required to appear in person in the clerk of court office to swear an oath that includes affirming: they are of lawful age to marry or have necessary consent to marry; are not related in degrees prohibited by law; and no legal reason exists why they should not marry. Under the new process, applicants will make this affirmation on paper.
Court operations during pandemic
Chief Justice Marla Luckert and the Kansas Supreme Court have issued a series of administrative orders to define how district and appellate courts will safely operate during the COVID-19 pandemic. This allows state courts to continue to provide vital services to the people of Kansas while following public health guidelines that protect judges, court staff, and the people who come into our courts.
Learn more by visiting Kansas Courts Response to COVID-19.
